Zaporizhzhia 5 is one of six VVER-1000 PWRs at Europe's largest nuclear plant, under Russian military control since March 2022 and shut down since the early months of the war. Rosatom says it aims to restart the units under Russian licensing when conditions allow; Ukraine contests Russian control and the IAEA has called restart inadvisable during the war.
Background: Palisades fuel loading: Holtec restart timeline and what comes next · NRC reactor licensing process, explained
Current state
| Status | Proposed |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Location | Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia Oblast |
| Plant | Zaporizhzhia |
| Unit | 5 |
| Operator | Contested: Energoatom (Ukrainian licensee) / Rosatom-installed management |
| Reactor type | PWR |
| Restart type | Conflict shutdown |
| Shut down | 2022 |
| Years offline | 4.3 |
| Regulator | No Russian licence yet; Rosatom aims to apply by end-2026 |
Notes
Per-unit shutdown dates not verified (year only; all units shut 'shortly after the start of the war'). Plant total capacity 5.7 GW across six units (WNN); per-unit net capacity not recorded. Restart would require secure cooling water and stable off-site power; IAEA DG Grossi said restart is inadvisable in the current military situation.
Timeline
- 2022-03 — Russian forces took control of the plant; all six units were subsequently shut down. (source)
- 2025-12-29 — The Russian-installed plant head said generation could restart by mid-2027 if the war ended soon. (source)
- 2026-09 — Off-site power was restored after an IAEA-brokered local ceasefire allowed line repairs, following the plant's 26th loss of off-site power. (source)
The timeline is append-only: corrections are added as new entries. Stated targets appear in the current-state table, never as milestones.
NNN coverage
About Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant
- Zaporizhzhia plant reconnected to grid after IAEA ceasefire repairs 2026-09-08
- Zaporizhzhia power line repairs resume under 7th IAEA ceasefire 2026-09-06
- Zaporizhzhia raises spent-fuel pool water levels 2026-08-08
- The 7 nuclear stories that mattered this week 2026-08-08
- The 6 nuclear stories that mattered this week 2026-09-12
- Why nuclear power plants can't shoot down drones 2026-09-01
Related units
- Zaporizhzhia Unit 1 Proposed · Ukraine
- Zaporizhzhia Unit 2 Proposed · Ukraine
- Zaporizhzhia Unit 3 Proposed · Ukraine
- Zaporizhzhia Unit 4 Proposed · Ukraine
- Zaporizhzhia Unit 6 Proposed · Ukraine
See all 45 units in the Nuclear Plant Restarts Tracker →
Sources
- Russian regulator issues operating licence for second Zaporizhzhia unit — World Nuclear News, checked 2026-10-11
- Zaporizhzhia power plant could restart in 18 months once the war ends, head says — Reuters, checked 2026-10-11
- Zaporizhzhia restores off-site power following IAEA-brokered local ceasefire — American Nuclear Society, checked 2026-10-11
- Greenpeace Ukraine: Russian license for the occupied ZNPP is illegal — Greenpeace Ukraine, checked 2026-10-11
- Russia licences Zaporizhia 1 — Nuclear Engineering International, checked 2026-10-11